I bet you weren't expecting that, huh?
I was thinking about the Wii U's situation today and after reading the "Wii U Rant - Is the name to blame?" thread here and "The Crew won't get a release on the Wii U because of technical differences" on Nintendo Life and suddenly I made this connection, I will give 3 similarities between them and I will let you decide if the Wii U is the next TG16.
1st - The Wii U and TG16's hardware are weaker than their rivals:
TurboGrafx-16 Specs said:
Wii U Specs said:The Wii U uses a custom multi-chip module (MCM), the MCM combines an "Espresso" central processing unit (CPU) and a "Latte" graphics chip (GPU), as well as an SEEPROM memory chip. The Espresso CPU, consists of a PowerPC 750-based tri-core processor with 3 MB of shared L2 cache memory and clocked at approximately 1.24 GHz. Despite belonging to the PowerPC family, the Espresso also shares some architectural concepts with the POWER7 architecture such as the use of eDRAM cache and being manufactured at a 45 nm node. The Latte graphics chip contains both a "GX2" GPGPU, which runs Wii U applications, and a "GX" GPU, which enables backwards-compatibility with previous generation Wii games. The GX2 is based on the Radeon R600/R700 architecture and is clocked at approximately 550 MHz. It is manufactured at a 40 nm node and contains 32 MB of eDRAM cache memory, which can also act as L3 cache for the CPU. The GX, contains a 1 MB and a 2 MB banks of eSRAM cache memory. The Latte chip also includes a secondary custom ARM9 processor with 96 KB of SRAM memory that handles system tasks seamlessly in the background during gameplay or while the system is in sleep mode, and dedicated hardware audio DSP module.
The console contains 2 GB of DDR3 system memory consisting of four 512 MB (4 Gb) DRAM chips with a maximum bandwidth of 12.8 GB/s. This is 20 times the amount found in the original Wii. However, 1 GB is reserved for the operating system and unavailable to games. The memory architecture allows the CPU and GPU to access both the main DDR3 memory pool and the eDRAM cache memory pool on the GPU, removing the need for separate, dedicated memory pools. The console includes either an 8 GB (Basic) or 32 GB (Premium (WW) / Deluxe (NA)) internal eMMC flash memory, expandable via SD memory cards up to 32 GB and USB external hard disk drives up to 2 TB.
The Wii U features 802.11 b/g /n wireless network connectivity and Fast Ethernet (although it requires an accessory), Bluetooth 4.0, four USB 2.0 ports (two in the rear and two in the front of the console) and an SD/SDHC memory card slot. An additional power port is also included to power the Wii Sensor Bar, an auxiliary infrared emitter which communicates with the Wii Remote first introduced on the Wii. Video output options include 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576i, 480p and 480i, through HDMI 1.4 and component video (YPBPR and D-Terminal) or 576i, 480i anamorphic widescreen through composite video (S-Video, RGB SCART and D-Terminal). Audio output options include six-channel 5.1 linear PCM surround sound or analog stereo. The console also supports stereoscopic (3D) images and video.
2nd - They tried to innovate the VG market:
And we got another similarity, the TG16 had/was the first CD addon/console with the TurboGrafx-CD, which later started the CD addon/console wave with the Sega CD, CDi, 3DO, Neo Geo CD and the Atari Jaguar CD, it was also the first console with a handheld (TurboExpress) that could play the same games as its home counterpart. The Wii U got its gamepad with a touchscreen, it allows you to stream your games to its screen and play them without a TV, later on, the PS4 got the Remote Play with a PSVita, it also allows you to stream games and play them without a TV.
3rd - They stayed in the 3rd place on the sales and got a cult following:
It is a bit early right to say that about the Wii U, however, the TG16 stayed in the 3rd place(2nd place on Japan, but a bit distant from the Super Famicom) in the console wars, with most good games being Japan only. They also got a strong cult following because of their games, the TurboGrafx-16 is the console of choice for shooters and some arcade conversions, also it was the only console to receive Street Fighter I(As Fighting Street) back in the day. The Wii U got the classic Nintendo franchises like Mario, Zelda, Pokémon and good exclusives like Bayonetta 2, Sonic Lost World and a few others.
Alright, so what do you think about this crazy idea? Do you think it is valid? I hope I can get some feedback on this idea!